What to see in Warsaw in 3 days. Warsaw was considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world before the Second World War. But after the bombings during that war, the deportations of the Jewish population, the uprising of the Warsaw ghetto and its destruction, and a general revolt in Warsaw between August and October 1944 brought it to the greatest devastation. Warsaw thus acquires the new title of “City Phoenix” due to its long history and its complete reconstruction after World War II, which had left more than 85 % of the buildings in ruins.
Before starting we will take into account that the currency of Poland is not the euro but the zloty, as of today the conversion is 1€ = 4.50 PLN approximately
Indice:
Day 1 what to see in Warsaw
Old Town
Warsaw’s Old Town is a must-see, a town that has been completely rebuilt after the war and has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List due to its meticulous reconstruction.
Here, as we always do, we started with a free tour. It was a pleasure to do so with the help of a local Polish guide who spoke perfect Spanish and was able to give us meaningful details about the history of this city.
Market Square
We will start at Rynek Stare Miasto Square, the accommodation that we will see later was here, this square with the little mermaid in the middle. The mermaid protects the city of Warsaw.
The charm of the buildings that surround it, the bars distributed throughout it, the color and the people make this a place with a very special charm, but I promise you this is only the beginning of a tour that will not lack charm and history.
In the square we find the City Museum, a very interesting museum where you will find a lot of information about Warsaw, from its beginnings through all the hard times, and its reconstruction. The entrance fee is 25 PLN for the permanent exhibition, 20 PLN for the temporary exhibition and 35 PLN for the combined ticket (7.70 euros).
The excursion to Awschwitz Birkenau can also be done from Warsaw if you are not going to visit Krakow.
Warsaw Cathedral
We are now heading to the Warsaw Cathedral.
St. John’s Cathedral also suffered damage that left it completely destroyed and has been rebuilt. Its construction dates back to the fourteenth century and is the oldest church in Warsaw. The cathedral is considered a World Heritage Site for its architectural beauty.
The cathedral can be visited for free, but if you want to access the pantheon and chapels at the entrance it costs 5 PLN
Kanonia Square
We set off on our walk towards the castle but we stop to see a large bell. This bell was forged for the Jesuit church, but it was never hung. It is said that perhaps the materials used were of poor quality, there are cracks in it and that is why the bell never fulfilled its function.
But they say you have to go around the bell three times to get back to Warsaw. Of course we did!
►Free Tour of the FifthArsovia Ghetto
Warsaw Castle
Our steps will take us slowly, this time, to the Royal Castle of Warsaw.
Located in the Castle Square is a palacio baroque-neoclassical palace. It was the official residence of the Polish kings until 1795 and is currently the seat of the Polish Foundation of History and Culture, which has fitted out part of the castle as a museum, the Castle Museum. The entrance fee is PLN 30 (about 6.70 euros).
This castle is the starting point of the touristic “Royal Route” in Warsaw. The Royal Route starts from the Royal Castle towards the Wilanów Palace in the south.
In this Castle Square we will highlight the column of Sigismund III, responsible for moving the country’s capital from Krakow to Warsaw.
Santa Ana Church
Another thing to highlight is the Church of St. Anne. Apart from being one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in Poland, you can climb up there and get some beautiful views. I recommend it. Entrance to the church is free and the price to go up to the viewing platform is 5PLN (just over 1 euro).
We continue walking along Krakowskie Street, and we arrive at the presidential palace.
This building during its first 175 years was the private residence of several aristocratic families. From 1818 the palace began to be used as a government building.
Also to the University of Warsaw.
If you travel at Christmas, taking a Christmas tour of Warsaw is a very good plan!
Throughout the tour we use the map to be able to guide us in the itinerary, for this and many more things we need internet. We travel with Holafly eSims, which have unlimited internet throughout Europe. Discount code: EUROPAACOMPAÑADA5
We see many churches on the walk and also statues such as the one of the physicist and chemist twice Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie.
As we said at the beginning, Warsaw had to be rebuilt. In 1953 the first phase of reconstruction began, using the rubble itself as far as possible, following old paintings, such as those of Bernardo Bellotto, as models to see what the city was like. Today we see Belotto’s paintings in front of some buildings.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
We walk just a few steps and head to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier located in the remains of the Saski Palace, a palace destroyed during the Second World War, and which is now undergoing excavations that will lead to a reconstruction. It is a symbolic tomb commemorating the unknown soldiers who fell in battle fighting for the freedom of Poland.
Frédéric Chopin
Let’s end the day with some history of Frederic Chopin. The famous composer and pianist was born in Warsaw, more precisely in a village 60 km from the city. Although his body remains in Paris, in the Pére Lachaise cemetery as we have seen in one of our Paris videos, the musician’s last will was obeyed, removing his heart and depositing it in the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw.
Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw
We visit the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw where one of its pillars preserves the heart of Chopin.
You can enter for free.
Almost opposite we find the monument to Nicolaus Copernicus, also Polish. From here we took the free tour we did through the city.
Frédéric Chopin Museum
And finally we will visit the Frédéric Chopin museum. The ticket price is 25 pln (5.50 euros approximately), this ticket is included in the Warsaw Pass.
We got the Warsow pass, and several of the tickets were made with that pass, in our case we did not take advantage of it enough and we did not achieve savings, but as all the itineraries are different perhaps the option can be useful to you.
Day 2 what to see in Warsaw
Today we will visit another area of Warsaw and head to a building identified with the communist era in Warsaw and from where we will get fabulous views of the city.
Palace of Culture and Science
Construction began in 1952 and was completed in 1955. A gift from the USSR to Poland. The architecture of the building is closely linked to other skyscrapers built in the USSR during the same period.
The building was controversial from the start. Some Poles disliked the building because it was a symbol of the Soviets, and even suggested its demolition to build a park with a pond. But the building is undoubtedly already a symbol that we identify with the city.
In the Palace of Culture there are theaters, museums, cinema, restaurants, swimming pool, shopping arcade, and more.
The observation deck is located on the 30th floor, opening hours are daily from 10am to 8pm and the entrance fee is 25 PLN (€5.50) and is free with the Warsaw Pass.
It is a must to see in Warsaw, I really enjoyed making this visit.
Hala Mirowska
A stop at a market is always a nice option. Hala Mirowska Market. Built between 1899 and 1902, it was Warsaw’s first major restoration complex and also the largest market in the city. The buildings were partially destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 and restored to their original function as a market in the 1950s and 1960s.
European Square
Let’s go to the typical letters of the city. It is in the modern part of Warsaw between tall buildings, very different from anything we saw yesterday.
Warsaw Uprising Museum
Our next step will be a visit to the Warsaw Uprising Museum. The Warsaw Uprising was the largest civilian rebellion against Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Polish troops resisted the German attack for 63 days, but lacking Allied support, they were overcome by the much better equipped German troops.
The museum reflects this history and is well worth a visit to learn about the strong history of Warsawians. The entrance fee is 30 zlt, (6.50 € approx).
Prague Quarter
To end the day we move away a little, and on the other side of the river we go to the Praga neighborhood and a very special museum.
Neon Museum
The tour of this very alternative neighborhood will also take us to the Neon Museum.
The museum houses more than 200 illuminated signs. Examples of illuminated advertising from the communist years that have long since fallen into oblivion are on display here. The entrance fee is 16 zł.
St. Florian’s Cathedral
In the Praga district is the beautiful St. Florian’s Cathedral, we do not enter inside, admission is free.
Day 3 what to see in Warsaw
On this last day we will start in the old town and then head to what was once the Warsaw ghetto and get into that part of history.
Barbican
We will start with a tour to the Barbican and the walls. The Warsaw Barbican is the gate that connects the Old City with the new part of the capital, those parts that we have been seeing in the previous two days.
The tour around the wall and the old town looking for places with views of the Vistula is pleasant and is a nice walk. Walking we arrive at a monument where we see a child in military attire.
Little Insurrectionist Statue
It is a statue in commemoration of the child soldiers who fought and died during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 that we have already talked about.
And our steps now take us to the Warsaw monument that we have perhaps seen the most in images. The Warsaw Uprising Monument.
Monument to the Warsaw Uprising
It is a monument dedicated to the fighters who lost their lives during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.
The complex has been described as “the most important post-war monument in Warsaw”, as well as being one of the essential places to see in Warsaw.
To introduce ourselves to the part of what was the Warsaw ghetto we did it through a free tour, coincidentally we got the same local guide that we had already had in the introduction to the city and it was a very good tour.
►Free Tour of the FifthArsovia Ghetto
Today what were the limits of the ghetto are marked on the floor, the tour is accompanied by explanations and photos that he shows us to illustrate what it was like.
Umschlagplatz Monument
The Umschlagplatz memorial is located at the site where transports of Jews to the Treblinka extermination camp departed in 1942. Its shape combines that of the ghetto wall and a railway carriage, and the names of more than four hundred victims are engraved on the inside of its walls.
Monument to the Heroes of the Ghetto
We end the free tour at the monument to the Heroes of the Ghetto.
The Warsaw ghetto uprising was an uprising of the Jews of the ghetto against German troops when Germany decided to begin the mass deportation of Jews to the extermination camps ofMajdanek and Treblinka.
This monument was created a few years after the end of World War II in memory of all those who had fought and died in the Warsaw ghetto. It was at its feet, in 1970, that German Chancellor Willy Brandt knelt to ask forgiveness for the crimes committed by the Third Reich.
Polin Museum
And we are next to a museum that is worth visiting and it is the Polin Museum.
The Polin Museum, history of Polish Jews. The POLIN Museum is a complete exhibition, a journey through more than a thousand years of history and tradition of the Jewish community in Poland. A good place to visit after the free tour is over, because at least the one we did ended here.
The entrance fee is zlt 30. It is included in the tourist pass.
What else to see in Warsaw
As we always had more places to see in Warsaw, we could add here the Lazienki Park and its palace.
The University Gardens.
Or the Wilanow Palace on the outskirts of the city, a visit that we could not do and that we were very eager to do. You can go on your own or on a guided tour in Spanish.
Where do we stay?
Ego apartment was the chosen place, apartments for rent in the old buildings that are in the vicinity of the Market Square, where we started the tour on the first day. They sent us the access details by email since it does not have reception, you have to take this into account when it is not a conventional hotel. The access is through another building that overlooks the square, it may seem intertwined but it was not.
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Video and map
NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links
